Bubbling drinking-fountain.



J. J. DONOVAN. BUBBLING DRINKING FOUNTAIN. APPLIOATION FILED 11111.16, 1.911. RENEWED MAR. 25, 1914.

Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

THE NORRIS PEIERS CD. PHOTGLITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

I JOHN J. DONOVAN, or Bos'roN, MASSACHUSETTS.

o FioE.

BUBBLING' DRI KING-FOUNTAIN.

Specification of Letters'latcnt.

" Patented'Oct. 6,1914.

Application filed January 16, 1911, Serial No. 602,811. Renewed March 25, 1914. Serial No. 827,247.

To all whom it may concern:

Drinking-Fountains, of which the following .is a specification.

My invention relates to drinking fountains of the class in which the liquid for imbibing is caused to spout forth continuouslyv in a jet or bubbling stream of such character that the mouth of the drinker can be placed over it, such devices or apparatus being commonly known as bubbling drinking fountains or bubble fountains.

My object is twofold; first, to make the fountain of such a character that the jet or" stream will always rise to substantially the forms the Wall of the delivering chamber 12,

same height above the outlet whatever the pressure or head of the liquid may be, provided of course there is sufiicient head to raise the jet above the outlet, without em- 10 in s rin s and second to roviole' p b b 7 7 safeguards for preventing the production of a spurting stream by mischievous persons. The manner in which I accomplish these objects is described and claimed in the following specification, in which a detailed description of one of the possible embodiments of the invention is given.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a bottom plan view of a bubbling fountain embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents side elevation, partly in section. Fig. 4 represents a plan view of the plate which forms the top of the diaphragm chamber, hereinafter referred to. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a' plan view of the diaphragm. Fig. 7 represents a cross section of the diaphragm.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

My improved fountain comprises a delivering chamber 12, having an outlet 13, through which the'bubbling stream caused by the pressure head acting on the liquid rises.

14 represents a diaphragm chamber located below the delivering chamber 12, said diaphragm chamber being provided with an inlet 15 which communicates with a source of supply of liquid under pressure. The said chambers 12 and 14, the bubbling outlet 13 and the inlet 15 are formed in a casing,

Be it known thatI, JOHN J. DONOVAN, of Boston, in the county of Suliolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bubbling the preferred construction of which is as follows I y 16 represents the base section of the casng, which is provided with a projecting lnternally threaded nipple 17, adapted to be engaged with a supply pipe, the inlet 15 extending through the nipple. The base 16 has a marginalflange 18 and an externally screw-threaded peripheral portion above said flange. The upper side of the base 16 has a recess 19 surrounded by a raised wall 20, the inner surface of which constitutes the margin of the diaphragm chamber, the bottom of, the recess being annular and constituting the bottom of the diaphragm chamber.

21 represents an outer section which in the top of which the bubbling outlet 13 is formed. On the base of the section 21 is formed a depending annular flange 22, which is internally threaded to engage the external thread of the base 16. 23 repre sents a rigid circular plate or septum, the margin of which is interposed between the raised wall 20, and an internal shoulder 24 formed on the section 21. The plate 23 is confined in place between the saidfiange 22, the wall 20 and shoulder 24 and constitutes the top of the diaphragm chamber and the bottom of the delivering chamber. It may, if desired, be free to move between the wall 22 and shoulder 24, but the latter is so. made, or provided with packing, that leakage past it is prevented when the plate is forced againstit by high pressures, as hereinafter described. The plate 23 is provided at its central portion with a restricted port 25, which is in alinement with the bubbling outlet l3, and with one or more ports 26 between the restricted port 25 and the margin of the plate.

27 represents a circular diaphragm, which is a thin plate, preferably of sheet metal, adapted to rest on the bottom of the diaphragm chamber 14, as shown by Fig. 2, and to be raisedand seated on the plate 23, .as shown by Fig. 3. The diaphragm is provided with a central orifice 28 which is in alinement with the restricted port 25, and is of greater diameter than the latter.

The casing is, or may be, provided with theusual dome-shaped guard 29, connected by arms 30 with the casing section 21, and

separated from said casing by an intermediate space, the guard having at its raised central portion an opening 31, in alinement with the bubbling outlet and made larger than said outlet to permit the bubbling stream to rise above the dome. Waste outlets 32 are provided between the edge of the domeand the base 16.

\Vhen liquid under a relatively heavy pressure is admitted to the diaphragm chamber, the liquid pressure raises the diaphragm and seats it on the under side of the plate 23, as shown by Fig. 3, the diaphragm being thus caused to close the larger ports gradually so that the entire liquid pressure is concentrated at the restricted port 25. The liquid is therefore projected into the delivering chamber 12 with suflicient force to form a bubbling stream, which is projected through the delivering outlet 13, and rises above the guard 29 sutliciently to enable it to be conveniently imbibed. lVhen the liquid admitted to the diaphragm chamber is under a relatively low pressure, insuflieient to displace the diaphragm, the liquid flows through the diaphragm orifice 28 and through all the ports in larger volume and maintains the same stream from which to imbibe.

The diaphragm orifice 28 and ports 25 and 26 are made of such proportion that when the pressure acting on the liquid is comparatively low, a large enough volume of liquid is allowed to pass to produce a bubbling stream at the outlet of the required height, this being sufficient to enable a person to drink by placing his mouth over the stream, and without bringing his lips in contact with the fixture. WVhen a higher pressure acts upon the liquid the diaphragm is flexed toward the plate 23 and gradually closes the ports 26, first closing the port nearest the edge of the plate, and then successively those nearer the center, until finally when a very high pressure acts, only the restricted port 25 is left open. This port is open under all conditions, but is of so small area, being hardly more than a pin hole, that even under the highest pressures, the quantity of liquid which can pass is no more than sullicient to make a hubbling jet of substantially the same height as before. The volume of water which fills the delivering chamber checks the stream of high velocity forced through the restricted port, and distributes its pressure to such an extent that only a relatively large stream of low velocity is ejected from the outlet in any case.

Between the extremes of high and low pressure more or less of the area of the ports 27 and 26 is uncovered, depending upon the degree of pressure. All the ports together thus constitute in the plate 23 a graduated inlet to the chamber 12 which is closed by the resilient diaphragm to a greater or less degree, in proportion to the pressure acting on the liquid.

he diaphragm is su'l'liciently resilient to enable it to be dished and pressed closely against the concave under side of the wall or plate 28, whereby he ports 26 are successively covered and cut off by the diaphragm. When the pressure diminishes the resilience of the diaphragm restores it to its plane form and. causes it to separate from the concave under surface of the plate 23 to again open the ports 26. The divergence between the under wall of the plate and the normal plane of the diaphragm, to which it tends to return by its own elas ticity necessary to enable the ports 26 to be uncovered when the pressure is low, and to prevent the diaphragm from adhering to the plate. In assuming the dished form the metal of the diaphragm is distorted elastically and exerts a constant tendency to restore the diaphragm to the flat condition, which becomes effective when the liquid pressure is sm'iiciently low. This resilient diaphragm, acting in conjunction with a concave plate, enables my object of closing and opening the secondary ports to be accomplished without the employment of spring-actuated valves. Springs in devices cf this sort are a source of continual dilliculty and annoyai'ice, for in order to prcvent rusting, some other material than steel artist be employed, but no other material has so high an elastic limit as steel, and conseipiently the springs become set and require to be frequently removed and stretched in order to restore their cl: lrity.

Vithin the delivery chamber and between the restricted port and the outlet 1? is an obstruction or ballle 33, which is provided in order to prevent the emission of a stream of high velocity when the cock or alve controlling the admission of the liquid to the fountain is opened suddenly. This baille may be made as a plate connected to the walls of the casing section 21. by a sullicien't number of arms. The casing srctiou, arms and balllc may all be made as an integral casting, if desired, spares being left between the arms and between the periphery of the ballie and the casing walls to permit a su'llicient flow of liquid around the baffle under a distributed pressure to form the bubbling stream.

The outer guard 29 is provided to prevent mischievous persons from causing the liquid to spurt by partially covering the outlet 13 of the delivery chamber. hen the outlet 31 of the dome is obstructed, the liquid, instead of spurting through the restricted opening with high velocity, flows away instead through the waste outlets 32. The diameter of the dome at its base and the areas of these waste outlets are made so large that adapted to be seated the waste outlets cannot be obstructed by the hand or by any means which a mischievous person would ordinarily have at hand when attempting to make the stream spurt. Y i

The construction of the fountain is such that the delivering chamber and diaphragm chamber are ordinarily filled with the liquid up to the outlet 13, but it is also such that when connected with proper piping and the liquid is shut off at the supply cock, all of the liquid in the delivering chamber and diaphragm chambers may drain away. This is a particularly desirable feature when the fountain is located out of doors. Those fountains which retainthe water when it is shut off from the supply pipe are liable to freeze and burst.

I claim,-

1. A bubbling fountain comprising a casing, having an inlet at one side, a diaphragm chamber communlcating wlth the inlet, and

er provided with a bub-- a delivering chamb bling outlet at the opposite side of the casing, the top of the diaphragm chamber being provided with a restricted port and with a larger port'spaced from the restricted port,

and a diaphragm movable insaid chamber and having an orifice coinciding with the restricted port, said diaphragm being adapted to be seated against-the top of the diaphragm chamber by liquid pressure to close the larger port therein, and restrict the quantity of liquid passing through. the chamber, the diaphragm greater area than the said restricted port, so that liquid under a relatively light pressure will flow therethrough without moving the diaphragm, so far as to close the, said larger port. y

2. A bubbling fountain comprising a casing having an inlet at one side, a diaphragm chamber communicating with the inlet and provided with a dished top, and a delivering chamber provided with a bubbling outlet at the opposite side of the casing, the top of the diaphragm chamber being provided with ports for liquid to the deliveringchamber, and a flat resilient diaphragm movable in said chamber and having an orifice coinciding with one of said ports, the diaphragm being on the dished top of the diaphragm chamber and dished in conformity therewith. 1

3. A bubbling fountain comprising a casing comprised of an inner section having an nected, a plate or septum clamped at its mar "trolled by. the pressure orifice being of 1' aermittin the assa e of.

a: P b

gin between said sections and provided with ports, said sections and plate forming a diaphragm chamber and a delivering chamber, and a diaphragm movable against said plate by liquidpressure in the diaphragm chamber and having an orifice coinciding with one of said ports.

4. A bubbling fountain, having an outlet for a jet, a means for maintaining a jet of substantially uniform height regardless of the pressure acting on the-liquid, comprising a wall having a plurality of ports, and a valve automatically operated by the water pressure and its own resiliency to open or close moreor less of the ports as the pressure is low or high. y r 5. Abubbling fountain, comprising a conduit having an outlet, a partition crossing the conduit so as to form a chamber therein and having an inlet to the chamber, and means extending across apart ofthe inlet on the pressure side of the partition confor closing such inlet to a greater or less extent in proportion to the pressure, said means having an in- 85 ierent resiliency. acting in opposition to the pressure and tending to uncover the inlet. j 6. A drinking fountain comprising a chamber having anoutletand an inlet, and a valve member constructed to restrict the area'of such inlet to a greater or less degree when acted upon by liquid under pressure,v and having inherent elasticity opposing the liquid pressure and tendingto enlarge the area of the inlet in proportion to such pres- 95 sure, whereby more or less liquid according to the pressure, is allowed to pass into the chamber, thereby maintaining thevolumeof flow'from the outlet substantially constant.

7 A bubbling drinking fountain comprising a chamber having an-outlet arranged to emit a jet of liquid, a partition formingone I wall of the chamber and having an inlet to permit inflow to the chamber of liquid under pressure, and an elastic and resilient valve member extending across the pressure side of the partition and having an orifice, said valve member being normally separated from the partitionan'd arranged to be forced against the partition to a greater or lessextent by the pressure of the liquid so as to restrict the area of said inlet proportionately. a

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my. signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JoHNgi, Donovan.-

Witnesses E. 'BATOHELDER, P. W. PEZZETTI. 

